Approximate Purchase Date: September. Will see what promotion can be found on my favourite web site for parts.
Budget Range: 3,5K€ with shipping
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming; family video editing; family pictures editing (Lightroom); blue-ray ripping; office work.
Are you buying a monitor: Yes
Parts to Upgrade: I will recover some HDD from my ReadyNas that I plan to decommission. I need to purchase everything else.
Do you need to buy OS: No (I have a Win 7 retail license and have reserver my Win 10)
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: LDLC.be
Location: Belgium
Parts Preferences: Intel/Nvidia and major brands for the rest.
Overclocking: Maybe not of the first day, but I will surely try.
SLI or Crossfire: Not at first
Your Monitor Resolution: aiming at 4k
Additional Comments: I want to build myself a good gaming PC. I will mainly game with a headset. I have never build a PC and my experience with hardware is limited to the following:
- Adding RAM
- Replacing a HDD in a Macbook
- Changing the fan in a ReadyNas
But still I feel confident I can do it. Also I enjoy the learning process required to select parts.
So in the list below I will explain why I have selected some parts so that you can comment on my selection process. Who know it might also help another person without experience. I welcome any comments. Of course, you should not rely too much on price on newegg and others as I will buy parts in Belgium.
Part list:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($359.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X61 106.1 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($114.99 @ B&H)
Motherboard: Asus MAXIMUS VIII RANGER ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($242.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($172.75 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB STRIX Video Card ($674.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R5 Blackout Edition w/ Window ATX Mid Tower Case ($125.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: be quiet! Dark Power Pro 10 850W 80+ Platinum Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply
Optical Drive: Asus BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($52.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Acer XB280HK bprz 60Hz 28.0" Monitor ($680.88 @ B&H)
Keyboard: Logitech G910 Orion Spark Wired Gaming Keyboard ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Mouse: Logitech G502 Wired Optical Mouse ($58.95 @ Amazon)
Total: $2739.47
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-08-27 09:14 EDT-0400
Initially, I had started with a Nvidia 980 and a i5-4690k. But then new GPU have been released and I have continued reading about hardware.
So I thought why not do a Skylake build as I would like to keep this PC going for a minimum of 5 years and I suppose a few more.
So back to the drawing board.
I have selected a i7-6700k. As it has four cores, I suppose I will not have the issue of purchasing more cores than most games uses. This processor has LGA1151 socket and Z170 chipset. Those two information were used to select a motherboard and CPU cooler (the i7-6700k comes without a cooler at all).
For the motherboard, I wanted to have one that will allow me to plug a few devices:
- Blue ray reader
- 1 SDD
- 1 GPU or more
- Up to 4 HDD (as I have 4*2To available)
I have selected Asus as they are quite well known. I think the Maximus VIII Ranger is a nice one as it fits my requirements (Skylake, enough connectivity) and comes with the SupremeFX that will allow me to get nice sound (incl. virtual surround) with my good old Senheiser stereo headphone.
For the RAM, I heard about G. Skill as a good brand, as I have selected a Skylake CPU and want to keep the PC for a minimum of 5 years, I think DDR4 is the way to go. I have selected 2*8 GO of DDR4 at 2400Mhz.
Then for the rest, there is one factor that has guided me: the noise factor. I do not want to have a PC making a helicopter sound when working on photos or doing office work. I am rather sensitive to fan noise.
That is why I have selected the Asus 980 Ti Strix but I am open to suggestion as in Belgium it seems to be the most expensive one.
I have selected the Kraken X61 as CPU Cooler. It does not list supports for socket 1151 but as 1150 is supported, it should be compatible.
For the PSU: the Be quiet Dark Power Pro 11 850w. I have seen good review, it is platinum, quiet and available in my country. The PSU has 6 PCI 6+2 connections, so no problem to power the GPU.
For the case, I want to have enough room to be able to mount the PC easily, I want good sound isolation and I want to be able to keep an optical drive cage. I was thinking at a case without window and then I changed my mind. So I have selected the Fractal R5 Blackout edition with window.
If I have understood well, all components should fit. The case supports a PSU up to 190/170 mm when using a bottom fan. The dark power seems to be 3 mm too long, so I suppose that means no bottom fan for me. GPU up to 310mm in length are supported without removing the top HHD cage. The specs of the Strix is 30.5x15.22x3.98, so I suppose it should fit but without much space left.
The Kraken X61 uses 140mm fans. The case supports Top mounting as long as thickness is <=55mm. The Kraken X61 is 25mm so that’s good. Front mounting would require to remove drive bays which I plan to use, so top mounting seems the only option.
As I want to add up to 4 HDD, I will have to buy 2 Sata cables.
The peripherals: I need a mouse, a keyboard and a screen.
For the keyboard I cannot try them as there is no shop close to where I live that have gaming keyboard. I have selected two brands: Logitech and Corsair. I have selected the Logitech G910 Orion Spark as it has good review and it seems the software that goes with it is really easy to use.
The screen is a difficult subject. I could go for the refresh rate or for the resolution. I am no competitive gamer, I will play some FPS but also games like X-com, isometric RPG, Witcher…, so I think I would enjoy 4k resolution. With that in mind, I think a g-sync monitor is a must have and I have selected the Predator XB280HKbprz.
Thanks to all who have read my long post and I thank you in advance for the comments.
Budget Range: 3,5K€ with shipping
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming; family video editing; family pictures editing (Lightroom); blue-ray ripping; office work.
Are you buying a monitor: Yes
Parts to Upgrade: I will recover some HDD from my ReadyNas that I plan to decommission. I need to purchase everything else.
Do you need to buy OS: No (I have a Win 7 retail license and have reserver my Win 10)
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: LDLC.be
Location: Belgium
Parts Preferences: Intel/Nvidia and major brands for the rest.
Overclocking: Maybe not of the first day, but I will surely try.
SLI or Crossfire: Not at first
Your Monitor Resolution: aiming at 4k
Additional Comments: I want to build myself a good gaming PC. I will mainly game with a headset. I have never build a PC and my experience with hardware is limited to the following:
- Adding RAM
- Replacing a HDD in a Macbook
- Changing the fan in a ReadyNas
But still I feel confident I can do it. Also I enjoy the learning process required to select parts.
So in the list below I will explain why I have selected some parts so that you can comment on my selection process. Who know it might also help another person without experience. I welcome any comments. Of course, you should not rely too much on price on newegg and others as I will buy parts in Belgium.
Part list:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($359.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X61 106.1 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($114.99 @ B&H)
Motherboard: Asus MAXIMUS VIII RANGER ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($242.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($172.75 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB STRIX Video Card ($674.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R5 Blackout Edition w/ Window ATX Mid Tower Case ($125.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: be quiet! Dark Power Pro 10 850W 80+ Platinum Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply
Optical Drive: Asus BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($52.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Acer XB280HK bprz 60Hz 28.0" Monitor ($680.88 @ B&H)
Keyboard: Logitech G910 Orion Spark Wired Gaming Keyboard ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Mouse: Logitech G502 Wired Optical Mouse ($58.95 @ Amazon)
Total: $2739.47
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-08-27 09:14 EDT-0400
Initially, I had started with a Nvidia 980 and a i5-4690k. But then new GPU have been released and I have continued reading about hardware.
So I thought why not do a Skylake build as I would like to keep this PC going for a minimum of 5 years and I suppose a few more.
So back to the drawing board.
I have selected a i7-6700k. As it has four cores, I suppose I will not have the issue of purchasing more cores than most games uses. This processor has LGA1151 socket and Z170 chipset. Those two information were used to select a motherboard and CPU cooler (the i7-6700k comes without a cooler at all).
For the motherboard, I wanted to have one that will allow me to plug a few devices:
- Blue ray reader
- 1 SDD
- 1 GPU or more
- Up to 4 HDD (as I have 4*2To available)
I have selected Asus as they are quite well known. I think the Maximus VIII Ranger is a nice one as it fits my requirements (Skylake, enough connectivity) and comes with the SupremeFX that will allow me to get nice sound (incl. virtual surround) with my good old Senheiser stereo headphone.
For the RAM, I heard about G. Skill as a good brand, as I have selected a Skylake CPU and want to keep the PC for a minimum of 5 years, I think DDR4 is the way to go. I have selected 2*8 GO of DDR4 at 2400Mhz.
Then for the rest, there is one factor that has guided me: the noise factor. I do not want to have a PC making a helicopter sound when working on photos or doing office work. I am rather sensitive to fan noise.
That is why I have selected the Asus 980 Ti Strix but I am open to suggestion as in Belgium it seems to be the most expensive one.
I have selected the Kraken X61 as CPU Cooler. It does not list supports for socket 1151 but as 1150 is supported, it should be compatible.
For the PSU: the Be quiet Dark Power Pro 11 850w. I have seen good review, it is platinum, quiet and available in my country. The PSU has 6 PCI 6+2 connections, so no problem to power the GPU.
For the case, I want to have enough room to be able to mount the PC easily, I want good sound isolation and I want to be able to keep an optical drive cage. I was thinking at a case without window and then I changed my mind. So I have selected the Fractal R5 Blackout edition with window.
If I have understood well, all components should fit. The case supports a PSU up to 190/170 mm when using a bottom fan. The dark power seems to be 3 mm too long, so I suppose that means no bottom fan for me. GPU up to 310mm in length are supported without removing the top HHD cage. The specs of the Strix is 30.5x15.22x3.98, so I suppose it should fit but without much space left.
The Kraken X61 uses 140mm fans. The case supports Top mounting as long as thickness is <=55mm. The Kraken X61 is 25mm so that’s good. Front mounting would require to remove drive bays which I plan to use, so top mounting seems the only option.
As I want to add up to 4 HDD, I will have to buy 2 Sata cables.
The peripherals: I need a mouse, a keyboard and a screen.
For the keyboard I cannot try them as there is no shop close to where I live that have gaming keyboard. I have selected two brands: Logitech and Corsair. I have selected the Logitech G910 Orion Spark as it has good review and it seems the software that goes with it is really easy to use.
The screen is a difficult subject. I could go for the refresh rate or for the resolution. I am no competitive gamer, I will play some FPS but also games like X-com, isometric RPG, Witcher…, so I think I would enjoy 4k resolution. With that in mind, I think a g-sync monitor is a must have and I have selected the Predator XB280HKbprz.
Thanks to all who have read my long post and I thank you in advance for the comments.
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram